“She
saved me with the same determination that has helped her do so well on the show. She’s been a fighter all her life. She would hold my hand through detoxes and make sure there wasn’t a drink in sight.”

Now Danny has been off the booze for 16 months under 36-year-old Sam’s watchful eye – and he has vowed to
travel
the world as her bodyguard when she goes on tour to repay the faith she
showed in him. “I’d really like to do that for her,” he said.

Last
night, competing against fellow finalists Luke Friend, 17, and Nicholas
McDonald, 17, she brought the house down with an emotional rendition of
Lady Gaga’s Edge Of Glory and a duet of Dreamgirls showtune I Am Telling You with Nicole Scherzinger.

Rex Features

Final: Sam Bailey

Gary Barlow has said: “Sam is the obvious winner. People like her. People have been voting in their thousands and she could sell a lot of records.”

Now
Danny – along with her eldest brother Charlie, 41 – reveals how Sam’s family’s struggles have also helped her bond with her mentor Sharon Osbourne.

Charlie said: “I think part of the reason Sharon and Sam are so close is because they’ve both had people in their lives with addiction problems – Sharon with Ozzy and Sammy with her dad and Danny.

“Sharon’s like a second mother to her. I think they’ll be friends for life.”

But
her brothers reveal how she never believed her dreams of stardom could come true after a tough upbringing in the East End of London.

Charlie said: “We grew up on a housing estate and Sam always did her best to be good despite being surrounded by trouble.

“Danny and I used to get in a bit of trouble – we’d always be drinking and smoking and getting home late, whereas Sam was always the good one.”

Music played a central part in Sam’s upbringing with her dad encouraging jam sessions at the family home.

“Dad
would get his guitar out and we’d all have a singalong,” said Charlie. “He was in two bands and we loved going to see him sing. I know when he died it probably hit Sam the worst. She’d always been daddy’s little girl and he would be so proud if he could see her now.”

The brothers recalled how their father succumbed to mouth cancer at 58 after refusing to give up drinking.

Rescue: Danny with Sam Bailey

“Dad
was a functioning alcoholic,” said Charlie. “He would still go to work as a painter and decorator, but he’d sneak in a beer if he could and then in the evenings he would drink a lot. When he got mouth cancer it all happened very quickly. The chemo didn’t work because it was too late. He was told he had two weeks to live.

“He
couldn’t talk because of the cancer and had to write everything down. That was the hardest thing for him. He’d always been such a comedian. He
had the gift of the gab, but suddenly he couldn’t talk.”

Sam
has discussed her father’s alcoholism, stating it is the reason she is now teetotal. She said: “He was incredibly loving – he just loved a drink.

“He said he would die with a drink in his hand – and he did.”

But
as her father’s death drove mum-of-two Sam away from booze, it catapulted Danny the other way towards a deadly addiction. He said: “I have so much to thank Sam for. She was never afraid to be straight to the point with me.

“She’d tell me to sort myself out and wouldn’t let me go up to Leicester to see her and her children when I was drinking.

“I knew that if I wanted to be a part
of her life then I had to stop. I had a successful stint in residential
rehab and last Christmas I went up to stay with Sam.

“She
was so proud of me. Once I stopped drinking I lost about three stone because I wasn’t drinking all that sugar any more and Sam told me I looked amazing. She told me she was so happy she’d got her brother back.”

Her two brothers are also close to Sam’s devoted husband Craig. He has kept family life with children Brooke, eight, and Tommy, four, running smoothly back in Leicester while she chases her X Factor dream.

Charlie
said: “We’re very protective of our sister but when Craig came along we
knew he’d take care of her for us. He adores her. They both love each other so much.

“They got married out in Las Vegas. None of us were there, but we all watched the ceremony on the internet. We crowded round a computer to watch.

“It
was wonderful.” Now the brothers are convinced their baby sister is set
to become a superstar. But they reckon grounded Sam will use her paycheck to help out mum Jackie financially. Charlie said: “I’m so proud
of Sammy. She really deserves this. She’s worked so hard for it.

“I
went to the live show for the first time last weekend for the semi-finals and I got goosebumps. Every time I hear her sing I get goosebumps.

“It was so surreal seeing my little sister getting asked for autographs and photos.
But she’s very grounded, is Sammy. She hasn’t let all this go to her head.

“I know for sure that if she got a big pay cheque, she’d want to help mum out. I know she’d love to whisk her off on a cruise and buy her a house. That’s what
Sam’s like.” Now Danny has conquered the booze he’s working hard towards getting the qualifications he’ll need to be his sister’s bodyguard as she travels the world.

He
said: “I’ve just got my SIA (security industry authority) licence and now I want to take a CP (close protection) course so I can be Sam’s bodyguard.

“It would be much nicer for her to have her brother there to look after her.”

Rex Features

Superstar: Sam's brothers are backing her to win

In
an interview yesterday, Sam told how she plans to crack America and follow in the footsteps of One Direction. She also said she couldn’t wait to work with Gary Barlow – who has said he’ll write for her. And she denied being too old to have a successful career.

Sam
said: “I’d love to work in America and have it as my second home. I’ve already had a conversation with management, saying I will spend as much time as I possibly can with my kids. Craig will look after the kids the most next year but I want them to come to some of the gigs with me. I don’t want anyone else looking after my kids. I will make sure I juggle things properly.”

Sam lost out on the chance of X Factor fame six years ago as she was plunged into despair over her dying father.

She
said: “I went for one audition when my dad had about a month to live. I
didn’t mention him dying – I probably would have got through. Instead, I
sang in a little room for about 30 seconds and got told to go home.”